This device relates to an extension of an existing automobile sun visor. Sun visors made by automobile manufacturers protect the driver from sun glare when the sun is directly in front of him or her. If the sun is to the side of the driver or front seat passenger, positioning the existing sun visor on the side, adjacent to the user, does not always prevent the user from being irritated by the sun. If the sun's rays come from the side of the user into the car, the user can turn the standard visor to the adjacent side window, but since very few roads are straight as an arrow, as the vehicle turns while driving, the angle of incidence of the light also changes as his directionality changes. Thus he is susceptible to sun glare from the now unprotected side area. Sun visors are a fairly uniform size and since they are opaque they cannot be so wide that they would block the rear view mirror or extended too far downward since they would then block the vision of the driver or front seat passenger. Consequently the sun glare often affects the user's eyes below the lowest position of the visor and the uppermost rear corner area of the side window such that the visor offers no sun protection to the user unless he strains upward or forward. There are a few characteristics which a successful sun shield product must possess. It must be universally adaptable for use on all or at least most all motor vehicle models. The product must be easily accessed by the user and readily adjusted to the particular condition. The product also must be inexpensive. To date, no product intended for use in blocking out sun glare in motor vehicles has been developed which truly has all the aforementioned characteristics. The clip on car visor extension is readily positioned on the motor vehicles sun visor and adjusted to a use position as needed. It is adaptable for installation on most vehicle models and is beneficial to drivers and front seat passengers of all heights. There is no sun visor extension device known in prior art which can be attached to a standard vehicle sun visor and extended by swiveling outward, which may be utilized to provide the user (driver or front seat passenger) from sun glare coming from the uppermost rear corner area of the side door window. Many attempts have been made to create a device which attaches to the vehicle sun visor to solve what has proven to be a longstanding problem such as the following prior art:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,829 to Matheopoulos discloses an adjustable bi-directional vehicle visor pivotally mounted to the vehicle adjacent the windshield allowing horizontal rotation between a stored position and an operating position. The devise consists of an opaque first visor and a second transparent tinted visor which overlays the first visor when it is in the stored position and is pivotable about the first visor when in operating position to allow shielding both at the front and sides simultaneously. The second visor may also be positioned in parallel alignment below the first visor. In this construction, the visor is incapable of providing additional glare protection axially from the visor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,142 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,314 to Gavagan discusses a visor assembly having one or more retractable glare screens integrated with the visor so as to be extended and retracted from the visor as required. The glare screens are guided for retracted movement by slot followers travelling in elongated guide slots formed in the visor center board member. In this configuration, a slot follower is required to limit travel of the blades. In addition, such configuration is intended for use with a visor having a center board member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,176 to Karford discloses a visor extension unit which is adapted for releasable attachment to a conventional visor of a motor vehicle. The device includes a support frame having opposed surfaces and means for attaching one of the surfaces to the body of the visor. A pair of guide passages at opposite ends of the unit enable the visor panel to be manually moved in a horizontal direction extending either from the left side or right side based on the location of the sun. In this construction, no limiting means exists for preventing the visor from being pulled completely outside the visor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,161 to Lee discloses an automobile visor having a vertical series of pivotally connected shield plates which are suspended from a horizontal hanging portion of a hanging rod portably mounted on a roof panel. The shield plates are in horizontal alignment when unfolded, each containing a side slot having a side plate horizontally extendable therefrom. In this construction, it is necessary to unfold at least one plate and then extend the insert horizontally to protect against glare. There are no limiting means for retaining the blade within one of the connected shield plates.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,275 to Lutz discloses a housing having an auxiliary visor connected at two locations to the existing visor originally mounted on the motor vehicle. Limiting stops having a lug sliding in an associated slot is used to prevent complete withdrawal of the auxiliary visors. In this construction, modification of the original visor is required to properly mount the housing containing the auxiliary visors. Furthermore, the mounting of the additional housing increases the thickness of the visor, thereby interfering with the positioning of the visor in the stored position.